Striding through the Great Tree Sea as if it owned the place—the Black World Tree.
Perched atop its head, I clung to the only remaining part that still resembled a staff, gazing out at the real World Tree stretching endlessly in every direction.
It seemed the situation on the ground had changed again. Apparently, the Black World Tree had followed Tino's guidance and reached Citry's location, and was now chasing after Lucia, Klyus, and the rest of the mages.
I should have anticipated this the moment it started pursuing Tino in response to the Elfin's hair. And yet, even after devouring so many Phantoms, it still craved more power—truly a terrifying staff. The new Phantoms that appeared along the way hadn't posed the slightest obstacle either, and it was actually surprising it had been stopped in the Imperial Capital at all.
"Oh, just you wait, you weakling!!"
"Brother! When is this thing going to stop!?"
Atop the Black World Tree's head, it was eerily quiet. The only sound was the wind—Klyus's and Lucia's voices were barely audible. And I had no capacity to spare for even those faint sounds.
The vertical swaying was intense, and I was about to be sick.
Not getting Seren to return the "Comfortable Vacation" sooner had been a complete mistake.
The Black World Tree's movements weren't all that violent, but staying up here for so long was grueling. Long, slow swaying was one of the few attacks that even the Barrier Ring couldn't defend against.
I looked up at the World Tree, trying to steady my stomach. A colossal tree of immeasurable size, shedding leaves like rain—it was a magnificent and bizarre sight no matter how many times I saw it. Even looking up, it was far too massive to make out the branches and leaves. How much Mana Material had it absorbed to grow this large?
It probably took on the order of a thousand years for the Black World Tree to grow to that size.
It had only taken a few minutes to surpass the surrounding Great Trees, but now its growth had halted. Perhaps the rapid expansion only happened at the beginning, or perhaps it had simply run out of Mana Material.
Glancing to the side, I noticed that Marin (and the Black Knight) was clinging to the Black World Tree in the same way I was, staring at the World Tree with a bewildered expression.
"Good work. You were a real help—you can head back now. I'll make sure to give the plushie a nice upgrade."
"………………I'll kill you."
Shooting me a resentful glare and spitting out those ominous words, Marin shoved the plushie she'd been holding into my hands and vanished. The Black Knight had disappeared at some point too.
First, I stored the leftover plushie in Mimi-kun to keep it safe. It hadn't been as useful as I'd hoped, but it was still stronger than me, and I'd probably need to ask for its help again sometime. Better stay on its good side…
I turned my gaze back to the World Tree. That's when I noticed something.
The World Tree, which had been raining down leaves without pause—their density had thinned ever so slightly.
As expected of Citry—the strategy was working. Unlike me, who just operated on gut instinct.
As I drifted in a daze of nausea and helplessness, the Black World Tree's movement suddenly stopped. The tip of the staff portion I'd been gripping extended outward, a small bud formed at its end, and a tiny purple flower bloomed—the same flower that had bloomed at the very end when it had been rampaging through the Zebuldia Magic Academy.
I waited for a while, but the Black World Tree didn't start moving again. Perhaps this flower was a sign that it was satisfied?
I carefully plucked the blooming flower.
Finally, some closure… I was more exhausted this time than I'd expected. If I'd had the "Comfortable Vacation," I wouldn't have gotten this tired, and as expected, you really shouldn't lend out powerful Treasure Weapons to others.
I stored the souvenir flower in Mimi-kun, then lay down right there. I wasn't fond of high places, but an unobstructed sky really lifted the spirits. As for what to do with the now-stopped Black World Tree, I'd figure that out with Citry and the others later.
Once the ground stopped shaking, the nausea finally began to ease. I let out a big yawn and rubbed my eyes, and that's when Tino appeared, riding up on Ka-kun—the same Tino who had been luring and attracting the Black Tree the whole time.
I'd been thinking about getting back on the ground anyway. It wasn't like I couldn't just jump down with the Barrier Ring, but if I could descend peacefully, all the better.
"Tino, great work. Perfect timing, actually. Sorry to ask, but could you take me down to the ground?"
Tino's complexion was terrible. The resolute, fearless expression she'd been wearing earlier had vanished, and her cheeks were drawn tight.
She gave a small cough, then asked with the timid eyes of a frightened little animal.
"Ma-Mastaa… well… there's a lot I want to say, but—is this the end, this time?"
…How would I know?
Smiling noncommittally since I had nothing to say, Tino's face twisted into a smile that looked like she was on the verge of tears.
We descended to the ground. The forest the Black World Tree had blazed through showed far less destruction than I'd imagined.
Apparently, it had used its flexible roots as feet, allowing it to advance without harming nature despite its enormous size. ……The only ones beaten to a pulp were our companions.
Leaning against a Great Tree, catching her breath, Seren murmured.
"I… I thought I was going to die. Attack magic didn't even work…"
"Hmph… I don't know how he brought it here, but as always, the man doesn't choose his methods."
"……………Hey, you weakling. I won't get into the details, but there's one thing I want to know. Was it really necessary for us to be chased around? …Was it?"
Lapis's words came out with more bite than usual, practically spat out. Klyus spoke through tears in his eyes. I could feel the respect the other members had shown when I'd saved Seren steadily draining away.
The Spiritfolk were supposed to excel at forest operations, but being chased around by the Black World Tree had clearly been too much even for them.
It wasn't… actually necessary, was it? Sorry about that.
"You had more energy than when we fought at the academy. Honestly!!"
"Hey, Kly-san. Is it done moving now?"
Riiz pat-patted the Black World Tree's trunk as she called out. The composure to casually touch a cursed object that had been wreaking havoc just moments ago—as always, her sense of danger was completely numbed.
And how should I know whether it's going to move again! What do you take me for!
Well, it had been reduced to ash and reforged into a staff, yet it had revived, so there was certainly a possibility it could start moving again. If anything, maybe I should turn it back to ash right now and seal it somewhere.
Just then, Citry came trotting over with Elisa and Kirukilu in tow.
They probably hadn't been in range of the Black World Tree's attacks. Spotting the now-stationary World Tree, then Lucia's group, and finally me, Citry spoke excitedly.
"Great work! Kly-san, what an astonishing strategy! It seemed to have superb performance as a Mana Material absorption device—I honestly thought you'd keep it moving, but you stopped it here!"
"Wha!? Oh… yeah, yeah, of course. There's no way I'd keep it going forever."
Overwhelmed by that smile, I nodded along reflexively. There was no way I'd keep it moving forever. Besides, the whole framing was wrong to begin with. It wasn't like I had been moving it—it had moved on its own.
"I was stunned! I was so fixated on the idea of using a jamming device that I… how embarrassing. Of course, there was no way I could ever use something like this the way you did, Kly-san… but using a Citri Slime was an option too. They absorb Mana Material as well."
Please don't. The world would end. Stunned—was that what happened when your common sense got numbed?
Seren, having steadied her breathing, pulled away from the tree she'd been leaning against and looked at me.
"Does this mean… everything is over? The path to new Mana Material is—well, it appears to be functioning."
Why were Riiz, Seren, and Tino all asking me?
Normally I'd just give some vague answer, but unfortunately, I had no intention of answering this time. I'd rather not be wrong.
Smiling away, Citry answered on my behalf.
"At the very least, I believe it served as a stalling measure. The abilities of this tree are still unknown, but if even temporarily it can reduce the influx, the Source Temple should be significantly weakened. The god's consciousness will likely fall dormant as well. Even a god wouldn't expect interference with the Ley Lines."
Citry's words were always brimming with confidence. She was the only one I could rely on.
"Yep, yep, exactly!"
"…………Well… given time, we could even enhance the jamming device. If we devote time to verification and make further modifications to the Ley Lines, I'm certain we can destroy the Source Temple. At least—that's what I think. What do you say, Kly-san?"
Despite my enthusiastic agreement, Citry was looking at me with an uneasy expression for some reason.
Did she think I was some kind of plague god? Everything had gone well up to this point, so it'd be fine.
"Citry, it's okay. You're doing great, and this strategy was magnificent. Have some confidence."
"………………!"
"Kly-san, that was brutal…"
Riiz looked at the speechless Citry with pitying eyes. I'd just been trying to encourage her—what did I do wrong?
"………In any case, the only remaining concern is… Adler and the others, who vanished. The device had been destroyed. I let my guard down because I thought they were Kly-san's disciples."
"Huh? Adler and the others are gone?"
"…………Why do you look so happy about that?"
Adler had finally had enough of my incompetence, it seemed.
Disappearing in the middle of the operation was incredibly inconvenient, but they were nothing more than thieves, disciples, and nuisances, so I couldn't help looking pleased.
They were good people… If they hadn't been thieves, we could've been friends. But wait—it was too early to celebrate.
"No, we can't be sure yet. Maybe they abandoned the mission and went back to Yggdrasil."
"You weakling, I can't believe you can provoke people with clairvoyance that badly…"
…………Right, I'd forgotten about their clairvoyance ability.
I clapped my hands together and spoke in as bright a voice as I could manage.
"All right. No point staying here any longer. The strategy was a success—let's head back to Yggdrasil."
§ § § Source Temple, deepest sanctum. In the altar room where the world's power converged most intensely, the Masked God Keller's consciousness surfaced once more.
The temple trembled at the god's awakening, and the high-ranking priests who had been praying closest to the altar prostrated themselves.
The surfacing had not been intentional. Keller immediately set about confirming the cause of its premature awakening.
The first thing Keller perceived was a minuscule disturbance mixed into the priests' prayers.
The Source Temple, whose manifestation was not yet complete, was being operated by these intelligent priests.
The priests permitted closest to the altar room—the god's immediate vicinity—were true believers who offered their prayers, their very selves, to Keller, and who possessed the spiritual capacity to receive the divine oracles delivered through the god's will-only consciousness.
But now, in those prayers that should have flowed without the slightest hesitation regardless of circumstance, there was—however faintly—a disturbance.
Before the god, for the highest-ranking priests—the kin—to display agitation meant something had gone catastrophically wrong.
And the reason was obvious, without even extending consciousness throughout the temple.
The torrent of Mana Material, like a mire of flowing current, that had been pouring into the Source Temple through the Ley Lines, was weakening.
Mana Material was the lifeblood of the Treasure Hall. Keller and its kin had understood the importance of that power since long ago, since before their own destruction. And for the present-day Keller and its servants, that power was more critical than ever.
This was certainly cause enough for consciousness to surface. The Treasure Hall was built upon Mana Material; the Phantoms were born from it; and Keller's resurrection depended on it.
The temple now was not material. A reduction in the incoming Mana Material would directly weaken it. Without sufficient power, the countless traps and armaments that had existed in the former temple could not be reproduced, kin could not be born, and Keller's resurrection would recede further into the distance.
The temple simply by existing consumed vast quantities of Mana Material. If the decline in influx continued unchecked, the Source Temple would eventually vanish entirely.
Keller was a god. But it remained nothing more than a consciousness. With a physical body, it might survive for some time even if the Mana Material supply were cut off—but in its current state of formless awareness, there was only so much it could do.
Keller communicated with the priests' consciousness to assess the situation. But the cause of this emergency remained unclear.
All it learned was that they had faithfully executed the divine oracles.
Their reports were tinged with unmistakable panic and confusion. They revered and feared Keller. Though they possessed both great intellect and pride, and would never betray, their reports could be biased.
No… perhaps—or perhaps even the kin did not fully comprehend this situation.
Whether it was artificial or natural, whether it could be countered or not.
But the thing Keller most needed to avoid right now was—acting on its own.
Keller was far from at full strength. It couldn't use even a tenth of its power, and its thoughts were scattered. And the greatest problem was that even this half-hearted awakening placed an enormous burden on the current Source Temple.
At the consciousness stage alone—Keller consumed power equivalent to a hundred high-ranking kin. If it used its power, the temple's collapse would accelerate further. The time spent deliberating was but an instant.
Assessment of the situation would be left to the priests. By lowering its consciousness, the immediate concern of the temple dissolving could be staved off.
This tree's power was remarkable. Once the accumulation of Mana Material resumed, consciousness could be regained before too long.
For a god, a century or two was nothing more than a light doze.
Keller was about to sink back into slumber when—space itself cracked.
The barrier that had severed space had weakened because Keller's awakening destabilized it.
Uninvited intruders.
Ripping through space and appearing before it were—a colossal centipede, and three humans.
Reflexively, Keller deployed its power to assess the intruders.
Abilities, emotions, nature, the radiance of their souls. And the unmistakable stench of Monsters clinging to their souls.
It understood immediately. The ones who had been peering into Keller—were these.
The high-ranking priests simultaneously leveled their ritual staves at the brazen intruders.
But Keller stopped the attack.
They had fought their way into the deepest reaches of the temple. There had to be a reason.
The possibility that this was the work of another god was also ruled out.
A close look had confirmed it. This spatial leap was not a divine miracle—it was the result of a spontaneous mutation. The world occasionally played tricks like this.
The emotions radiating from them were intense elation and fear. Though their power was weak, the sheer audacity to stand before Keller after having touched its consciousness—these were extraordinary figures, even in this era.
Eyes burning with intensity. The dark-haired woman at the front opened her mouth.
"God, it's a pleasure. I'll get straight to it—we don't have much time. We are the Night Parade of a Thousand Demons—the modern Demon King's party. I don't know if you understand, but—you're cornered. I'd like to propose a deal."
A woman who wished to strike a bargain with a god—she truly didn't know her place.
The gap in existence between Keller and humanity was absolute. The woman before it was strong, certainly. Humanity had evolved, no doubt—it possessed power that dwarfed the humans of Keller's era. But it still wasn't enough. There was no reason to bargain with someone of this caliber.
Keller said nothing, merely staring. The woman smiled deeply and spoke.
"The one who created this current situation—was a hero of this era. I'll give you the information. In exchange, give me your soldiers—an invincible army, capable of defeating any enemy."
Ridiculous. Ridiculous, but… interesting.
Keller was the Masked God, the God of War. It did not bargain with the weak. In principle, her words weren't even worth hearing.
But deep within those eyes, fear was visible. Not just fear of Keller—fear of that so-called hero.
Keller gathered its strength, focusing its scattered consciousness. As divine power surged forth, the temple screamed and shook violently.
If there existed someone even a god feared—that sparked interest.
Whether ally or enemy—either way.
And then, Keller spoke for the first time since its emergence into this world.